Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



oct. 26,1926. 1,604,556

L. F. HOWARD RAlLWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed April 23. 1924 INVENTOR. v

ifi/ 4, ATTORNEY vision-of yalno'vel andiinproved means fory Y Referring tothe Idrawing "of the; engineer.

Patented Oct, 2S, l92., y l

reo-4556 uNioN swiTci-Ia sIGN frioN or PENNSYLVANIA.

BaiLwArrRArrIcco Application filed April 2 l e My invention relates to railway trafiic `.controlling apparatus, and particularly to apparatus of the type comprising governing 4mechanism located on a train and controlled from the trackway. c In apparatus of this character `it has been customary to provide a low speedliinit under unsafe traine conditions,l whereby after entering the unsafe izonethetrain may proceed without anlautomaticbrake application provided its speed does not exceedsuch limit. As a further element of safety it has been `suggested that 'while `proceeding through the unsafe `zone the engineer shouldbe required to perform a manual acknowledging-act in ordertogive evidenceofthe fact that khe is `:cognizant `of the, condition u nderL which he is traveling, thepenalty for failure to properlyperforinV such act- 1being `an automatic brake4 application even if the speed of the trainfisvbelow the-givenrlow value;Y L, One `feature of my invention is the i. prorequiring,sucli acknowledgment on the part fk5 r2,11\,l l will-describe,one-form of.,V apparatus ernbodyingimy inventomandvvl then. point out the novel features thereof inillclainis.'v 31 if .The accompanying drawing is af diagtflminatijc` view showing one forni of apparatus embodying myiivelltoiln` ,Y .f. i i

the reference 'characters ,15` `and 15%, `designate the` track lrails @te relvaygalona Wllh traieinon fuially :moves in the idrcton indicated@ @the I arrow.` y rlvhese @rails 'are divided 'insuslated -jointsl ,i'nto a plurality oftracksections, of, which jonly onelcoinplete section is shown inlthe drawing. l

track circuit comprising a source o f cur rent @connected across therailsatene; end of V the sectionland a track relayr conneetedlacross the rails at 'theother endofpthe section. ln

' the form hefehovneihe Sciiffefof track i111- ,rand the track,

lcuit current isvaibatt y A l rela-y fis, ofthe direct i current,Y type designated by the nreference characterlil with an exponent i corresponding to `the location.

' Each section is alsq proyided with aftrackway Signal designatedL tthe reference character AS `withan'exponent corresponding/to fthe t.locationi;eachfofrbwhich signals: Fis coni trdlled'bythe track relays inthe usual inan-Y NrnoiJiiNe APPARATUS.

3,19244 serial No. 708,403.

lier, sothat the signal indicates proceedg fc'aution or l"stop, according to traffic L COMPANY, er" swissvirnn, rENNsYLvANiA, Aconronaconditions in advance. of the signal` The control of these signals by the track relays foi-ins no part of my presentinvention,` and so thecontrolling circuits'are omitted-:fromv the drawing to simplify the disclosure.

Means are `proviokadffor supplyingV an al terna-ting train governing current tothe rails of each track section, whichcurrent is lfurnished by a generatQrG connected with `a 'transmission line H. This train ygoverning current is applied to thetrack railslby fa transformer designatedby the` reference character E with an exponent corresponding to the'location, the secondary vof Awhich transfermer isV connected in, the track circuitbe-` tweenyone terminal `ofik thetrackbattery- DV and vone of the trackrails. 'n The primary circuit for each transformerk is centrolled by a infront contact 20 of the 'track relay IK for `the section next in; advance,v suchl primary circuit including thesecondaryof aline trans- Cil former lli, the primary of which'isfconnected i across the transinissionline H. It willbe seen,V therefore,` that alternating train gow erning currentis,l applied tothe track rails of eachgsectionfexcept thesection in the rear f ,ofanleccupiedsection.h i 5 V; v Located inthe section Virriinedia jely to the left ofvpoint A is a train Le which fiswprovided witliga circuit a adapted to receiveal'- 1 Vternat-ing 'energy inductively from the track railsil andl l5?.g In the forni here shown,`

v this circuitI includestwo pick-up c v)iils18,v1l5"l `wound respectively Aon` tworginagnctizable coieslll, 117? which are disposedI above, and

`tra-nsversely with relation to,thetwo rails y l5 and 15a. rlhe energy thus induced in, the4 Eachjtrack Asection is provided .with a` receivingccircuit (iV is employed Ito control a y Ltiaincarried( relay i R lin y such inanner that this relay Regis energizedwhenuthe train oc cupiesa section of track which is supplied with alternating traingoverning current,v but istie-energized when thetrain occupies a section' of track which is not supplied with` rovided with ainag- .fic

ico f ics Y automatic.application of tliebrakes, e 'When the relayR is energized, magnet M is energized by a circuit which passes from terminal B of a suitable source of current through Contact of relay Il, wires 5 and 6 winding of magnet M, and wire 7 to terminal O of the same source of current. Vhen relay R is energized, therefore. the

train is free to proceed at any speed with-l trois a Contact l?) in such manner that the Contact is open at speeds above a safe low value, such as 'l5 miles per hour, and is closed if the speed does not erceed'such value.

rIhre train is also provided with a circuit controller T which is biased to the open position by suitable means such as a spring ll, but may beheld closed by the engineer by means of a Aknob lO. In order to l-zeep this circuit controller closed lthe engineer must keep his hand continuously on the knob l0.

VThe brake controlling magnet isi is provided with an auxiliary circuit which passes from terminal B of the said source of current, through back contact 8 ofrelay Il, wire 9, circuit controller T, Wire l2, Contact 13, wires ld and 6, magnet M, and wirev 7 to terminal O of the same source of current.

It will be seen that this auxiliary circuitV is closed, when relay R is de-energized. provided that circuit controller T is closed and the speed of theV train does not exceed the safe low value.

vAs shown in the drawing, the track section immediately to the right of point B is occupied by a second train LX, so that' siginal SB indicates Lstop and signal SA `Indicates caution. The circuit a on the lirst train L is receiving train governing current from the track rails so that relay R energized, with the result that the brake controlling magnet M is also energized through its main circuit controlled by front contact l of relay R. l/Vhen the train L enters section A B, the supply of train governing current to its receivingcircuit c will be dis- Y continued because contact of tr cr relay KP is open, and so the main relay R on train L will become cle-energized. It the speed of the train does notexceed l5 miles per hour and the engineer closes circuit; controller T, the auxiliary circuit for brake magnet M will be closed, and so the train can proceed without an automatic application of the brakes. If the speed of the train at any instant exceeds .l5 miles per hour, contact 13 will open, so that the brakes will be applied and the train will be brought to a stop Furthermore1 if the engineer releases circuit controller 'l while relay It is cle-energized, the brakes will be applied and the train will be brought to a stop.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modications may be nade therein within the scope of the apjpended claims without departing from the train is traveling under unsafe traffic conditions to apply the brakes, a circuit controller on the train biased to the open position and requiring continuous manual action to keep it closed, and means controlled by said circuit controller for preventing an automatic brake application if and only if the circuit controller is kept closed continuously while the train is traveling under unsafe traffic conditions.

3. Railway tratlic controlling apparatus comprising automatic mechanism carried on a train and operating under unsafe traffic conditions to apply the brakes, va circuit controller on the train biased to the open position and requiring continuous manual action to keep it closed, and means for preventing a brake application by said automatic mechanism if the speed is below a given value and if and only if said circuit controller is kept closed continuously while the trainis traveling under unsafe traliic conditions.

4. In combination, a train carried relay controlled from the trackway and arranged to be energized or cle-energized according as traffic conditions in advance are safe or unsafe, a brake controlling magnet controlled by said relay and energized when said relay is energized, a circuit controller on the train biased to the open position and requiring continuous manual action to keep it closed, and a circuitfor said magnet controlled by said circuit controller and by a back contact of said relay and capable 'of keeping the magnet' energized if and only if thecircuit controller is continuously held closed by manual operation as long as lthe relay is deenergized. Y

5. In combination', a train carried relay controlled from the trackway and arranged to be energized or de-energized according as traffic conditions in advance are `safe or unsafe, a brake controlling magnet governed by said relay and normally de-energized when the relay is cle-energized, a circuit controller on the train biased to the open posi* tion and requiring` continuous manual action to keep it closed, and means operating When said relay is cle-energized to keep said magnet energized if and only if said circuit con'- troller is continuously kept closed and if the i speed of the train does not exceed a given value.

6. In combination, a train carried relay controlled from the trackvvay and arranged to be energized or de-energized according as traffic conditions in advance are safe or unsafe, a brake controlling magnet governed by vsaid relay and normally cle-energized when the relay is de-energized, and means located on the train for keeping said mag-V net energized While said relay is deenergized if the speed does not exceed a given value and if and only if the engineer takes suitable `continuous action;

7. Railway traflicv controlling apparatus comprising means for supplying train governing current to the track rails under safe traiiic conditions in advance and for discoir tinuing the supply of such current under unsafe traiiic conditions in advance, automatic train carried mechanism controlled b-y said train governing current for applying tinuing the supply of such current under unsafe traffic conditions in advance, automatic train carried mechanism controlled by said train governing current for applying the brakes in the absence of said current, and means located on the train for preventing operation of saidautomatic mechanism in the absence of said train governing current if and only if the engineer takes suitable continuous action and the speed of the `train does not exceed a given value.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LEMUn-L F. HOWARD.

DISCLAIMER 1,604,556.4Lem'uel F. Howard, Edgewood Borough, Pa. RAILWAY-TRAFFIc-CON- TROLLING APPARATUS. Patent dated October 26, 1926. Disclaimer filed June 22, 1933, by the assignee, The Union Switch c@ Signal Company. Hereby enters the following disclaimer, to Wit:

Your petitioner hereby disclaims the subject matter of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. [Ojjc'ial Gazette July 18, 1.933.] 

